The Elite
by Starry-Prince
Summary: After having surgery, Bertha can no longer continue battling as an Elite Four. Therefore, a replacement is in order. This replacement is a ten-year old girl name Vaiden. Follow her as she experiences life as an Elite Four member in Sinnoh.
1. The Proposition

Sandgem town, a normally quiet and peaceful place, well, except for the research lab that is. Today, like many others, was quite busy in the matters of Pokemon. Whether it be new trainers getting their first Pokemon or experienced trainers getting their PokeDex checked for new discoveries. Whatever the event, it was busy.

Professor Rowan, the owner of the lab was checking a PokeDex when his assistant Lucas ran up to him.

"Professor! You have a call from the Elite Four!" He told the elderly man.

"Alright. Could you continue checking this PokeDex for me while I attend to those matters?"

"Of course!" Lucas replied eagerly. He loved to be of assistance to people, especially the Professor.

Rowan pushed the "Accept" option on the monitor, and waited as the computer retrieved the call. The video screen flickered and the Champion of Sinnoh, Cynthia, appeared on the screen.

"Hello, Cynthia. To what do I owe the pleasure?" The Professor questioned.

"Rowan. It's nice to see you. Well, it seems once again we are in need of a new Elite Four Member." Cynthia sighed. "Bertha recently had surgery on her knee, and its becoming quite a challenge for her to battle." Cynthia said sadly. She continued, "Do you have anybody at the lab who's qualified to help us out? Without a fourth elite, the League can't be challenged."

"I see. You're in quite a predicament. I may be able to help you out of this problem, though. You see, I have two trainers here. They've both completed the Gym Challenge. Lucas probably wouldn't enjoy the job, for his real passion is researching, but Vaiden, I can see the fire and spirit in that child's eyes, a perfect match for the Elite Four. She has the will to beat and conquer every obstacle in her path. I believe she's exactly what you need."

Cynthia nodded on screen, "Alright. But, do you believe she will get along and be able to work with the other members? We don't need a troublemaker. Flint's quite enough."

Rowan chuckled, "Worry you not, she's actually quite reserved and mature for her age."

Cynthia smiled, "Ok. Speak with her about our offer. Call me back later, alright?" She asked.

Rowan replied, "Of course. Goodbye." He said, clicking off the call.

He turned and looked around the lab, trying to find Vaiden, finally spotting her sketching a picture in a corner out of site. He calmly walked over to her. Stopping in front of her, he spoke up,

" Vaiden, may I have a word with you?" He asked the girl.

"Of course Professor. What do you need?" She asked, standing up to her full 4'11 stature, and stretching her now popping spine.

"The Elite Four are in a spot of trouble. Bertha, the Elite Second, can no longer battle without it causing her knees serious pain. Therefore, they are in need of a replacement. Care to oblige?" He asked the researcher.

"M-me!? An Elite Four!? Surely I'm not that good!" She stuttered out in pure awe. "I mean, of course I'd be honored too, but won't you need my help here?" Vaiden asked sadly, pushing her glasses back into place.

Rowan chuckled. "As always Vaiden, worrying about others happiness before your own." He ruffled her short, messy black hair. "If you want to do this, then do. I have plenty of help here. Lucas does the work of three!" He chuckled good-naturedly. "We'll be fine here. Now, would you, Vaiden, care to become an Elite Four?"

"Yes! Of course!" She grinned, overjoyed at the prospect of joining the highest ranking trainers in all of Sinnoh.

"Alright. Let me inform Cynthia of your answer." Rowan said smiling. He clicked the monitor back on and connected to the Elite Four castle.

" Professor! I wasn't expecting such a quick answer. Has she agreed?" Cynthia questioned eagerly.

The Professor nodded, "She has. She's quite ecstatic at the idea also." He chuckled softly, "But of course she got upset at the thought of us not having enough help around he lab if she left. If I hadn't convinced her otherwise, she probably wouldn't have."

Cynthia laughed along with him, "Well, it seems she has her priorities straight, making sure everyone else is secure before going off on a whim like this. That's something you don't see often in kids these days."

"Vaiden's her own person, and a quite unique one at that. I believe she'll be fine." Rowan smiled.

"Good. Could you have her here in possibly tomorrow? I know it's short notice, but we need to get her used to it here. We already have her a room with a bed, so she'll just need to pack everything else." Cynthia told him.

"I can do that. See you then." He smiled. Cynthia ended the call and the screen went black.

"Vaiden?"

"Yes, Professor?" Vaiden replied from under a pile of papers she was rifling through.

"You need to gather your things. You have until tomorrow then you are expected at the Elite Four. Go on home and start packing if you would please." Rowan said smiling warmly at her.

"Alright. Thanks again!"" She told him before grabbing her bag and rushing out the door to her house. Vaiden ran down the dirt paths to her small one-person apartment. Grabbing her key card from her pocket she slid it in the slot and opened the door. Sliding her shoes off in the foyer and dropping her bag, she walked to the kitchen and grabbed a banana from the fruit-bowl. Sitting down, she ate quietly contemplating her future.

She sighed, "Wow. I'm going to be with the best of the best, I hope I don't disappoint anyone." Looking at the clock, she noticed it was three O'clock in the afternoon. "I guess I should take my medicine." Standing, she walked over to the medicine cabinet, took out a small capsule and popped a small white pill out and set it on the counter. She snagged a glass out of the sink and filled it with water, before throwing the pill to the back of her throat and swallowing it. "There. I can start packing now. Without getting distracted." Vaiden laughed to herself. She has to take focus medication at certain times of the day to keep her ADD in check, which she usually remembers to do.

Walking down the hall, Vaiden got her suitcase out of the hall closet, and threw it on her bed. Opening her dresser, she took out all her clothes she was planning to bring and neatly put them in her bag. After that was said and done, she pulled the sheets off her bed, and threw them in the wash letting them soak in the soapy water. Vaiden returned to her room and started gathering her personal belonging, including: her stuffed lion she can't sleep without, her favorite books, her poker cards, a suduko booklet, her sketch book, and her soft pale baby blue blanket. For some reason or another, she still hasn't been able to get over her lion or her blanket.

"I need some music…" She jumped up and did a hop-skip over to her stereo grabbing her black Ipod along the way. Taking a thin white cord, she plugged one end into the stereo and the other into her Ipod. She hit the play button and music started playing as she went back to packing her belongings. Vaiden grabbed her toiletry bag, and skipped to her bathroom, dumping in her navy toothbrush in its case and into the bag, her hairbrush, hair gel, and other personal items followed shortly after. After checking to see that she had all she would need from the bathroom, she took the now somewhat heavy bag back into her small room, which was painted a deep, midnight blue. Vaiden carefully put it in a compartment on her suitcase. She then stepped into her closet, and collected her shoes and belts. An hour of packing later, she was finally done. Taking a seat on the couch, she sighed exhaustedly. Packing sure was work. She grabbed the remote off the table and turned on the TV to the news. On it was, of course, the Elite Four.

"Aaron, Bertha, Flint, Lucian and Cynthia…" She mumbled to herself, watching the TV.

"It seems that the Elite Four are to be getting a new member tomorrow. How do you all feel about that?" The reporter questioned them, going to Aaron first.

"Well, I see it as a chance to meet someone new. Maybe even a friend of sorts." Aaron said smiling.

"I see. What about you? Flint?" She asked, moving on to the Elite Third.

"Ummm…Well, I think the castle needs livening up, and maybe this kid is the one to do it." He laughed. "It's gotten pretty boring, maybe a new face will make it more exciting." He ended.

The reporter laughed also, "And you Lucian? What are your says on the matter at hand?"

"Change is good. Bertha will still live with us in the castle, so I have no hard feelings about the new-comer." He smiled warmly.

"Well it looks like the Elite is quite excited for the new-comer. Vaiden, when you get here, show us whatcha got!" The reporter beamed. Vaiden flicked off the TV happily.

"Looks like I don't have much to worry about." She laughed happily. "I guess I should tell the gang about what's going to be happening though." She skipped over to her bag and took out six PokeBalls, and tossed them in the air. Six red beams of light flashed and six Pokemon appeared. A Vaporeon, a Houndoom, a Drifblim, an Infernape, a Garchomp, and a Luxray.

"Yo!" She said happily, greeting her Pokemon.

They all made their respective noises in response.

"Well, I've been invited to be an Elite Four. So, starting tomorrow, that's where we'll be." Vaiden looked at them.

They all seemed to approve of her decision. Some smiled and others made noises of approval.

"Alright. You guys can stay out, just don't destroy anything, okay?" Vaiden told them laughing. They all nodded, remembering the last time that happened. A gaping hole, five feet in diameter, was blown in the kitchen wall. Not exactly fun in the dead of winter. She sat back down on the couch, and her Luxray came up and settled down beside her. He was her first Pokemon. He's also always been her baby. Laying her head on his side, she sighed for the umpteenth time that day.

"I'm so nervous, Luxray. What happens if I get there and I'm not good enough? Or if they don't like me?" Vaiden asked, her low self-esteem causing her distress and anxiety. "Or…or…I get homesick? Or they make fun of me for sleeping with my baby blanket and lion? Maybe this is a bad idea…" She trailed off, looking at Luxray sadly. He looked back, locking eyes, and giving her a re-assuring look. He started licking her hair, trying to clean her evidently, trying to comfort her in some way he could.

"I guess your right, although if they do make fun of me, you'll probably just tear them limb from limb…" She said completely serious. Luxray was known to be extremely protective of Vaiden. She was his kitten and NOBODY touches the kitten. She smiled at him, standing up and throwing a fist-pump to the air.

"No matter what happens, I won't let it bring me down. I can just roll with the punches." She did a victory pose after her sentence for good measures. Then her stomach growled. "Ummm…I can roll with the punches AFTER dinner." Vaiden said laughing. She went to the kitchen and opened a cabinet.

"Hmmm…rice sounds good I guess." She said grabbing the box and turning on the stove. Vaiden poured a cup of water into the pot and turned on the heat. She then waited for it to come to a boil and dumped the rice in.

"I'll check this in a bit." She said setting a five-minute timer. She ran back to her room and turned the music up to a blaring volume and starting dancing in the living room, her feet gliding easily along the wood floor, keeping perfect rhythm. She started singing along with the hyper song, her voice pure and beautiful easily keeping speed and tune with the singer. This is when she's happiest, besides battling that is, when all she can here is the music and the happy energy flows through her body and down into her soul. Until she tripped that is. She fell to the floor with a dull THUD. Rubbing her butt, she stood up, whimpering a bit in displeasure.

"Maaay-be dancing in socks on the wood floors wasn't such a good idea…" She said laughing. Another strange quirk of hers: Laughing at any pain that comes her way. She heard an annoying beeping from the kitchen so she ran in and checked the rice.

"Perfect!" Vaiden said smiling. Turning off the stove, she dumped the rice in a bowl, and sat down on the couch with Luxray again. Eating, she turned the TV back on to some anime and watched that as she ate her dinner. About an hour later, she stared yawning, leaving the TV on; she went to the restroom and turned on the shower. She took her glasses off and put them on the counter. She took off the rest of her clothes and looked at her thin ten-year old body. She poked her stomach once and jumped in the shower, letting the warm water flow down her back and shoulders, gently lifting tomorrow's stress off her mind. Vaiden grabbed the shampoo and gently lathered her jet-black hair into nice little suds. She poured another puddle of soap into her hand and washed her body, the strawberry scent deep and lovely to smell on her skin. Rinsing off her body under the warm water, the sudsy water trailing down her small frame and down the drain. Satisfied she hadn't left any soap, she turned the water off and grabbed her towel off the shelf. Wrapping it around herself she grabbed her glasses and went to her room. Opening her suitcase, she go a pair of black gym shorts she had accidentally stolen from Lucas and a blue tank top. She threw her clothes on and called Luxray. He came quickly and jumped on her bed, lying down beside her pillow. She laughed and turned off the lights and music, before climbing in bed and slowly drifting off to sleep.


	2. Arrival

Yo! Here's the second chapter. Vaiden meets the infamous Elite Four and brunch conversation is polite. Enjoy!

* * *

Vaiden stirred in her bed, tangling the sheets around her small legs. She sleepily opened her eyes, blinking against the sunlight filtering in through her window. The girl sat up and stretched, making a small whimper as her muscles warmed up. Yawning, she jumped out of bed, and tripped over her suitcase on the floor, landing face-first on a box and smacking her nose. She grabbed her nose and noticed it was bleeding.

"Damn. That hurt." Vaiden said laughing a bit, "I guess I should clean my face up." She walked to the bathroom, grabbed a washcloth and put it under the cold tap. Getting it wet, she put it on her nose to staunch the bleeding. The girl held it there for a minute and then took it away to reveal bloodstains all over the place.

"Ouch." Vaiden said. She got some tissues and held it to her nose in place of the damp cloth. After a minute, she took it off and was pleased that the bleeding had stopped. She threw the stained tissues into the garbage before taking the garbage to the kitchen and dumping it into the bigger one. Then she chunked the little one across the room for no reason.

"Hahaha…" She laughed. Her stomach started rumbling. "Time for breakfast." She looked at the clock; it was nine O'clock.

"Wait! No time! Rush, rush, rush!" She yelled scrambling to get ready, throwing on a white t-shirt, her red short-short overalls; white knee high socks, and her red slip-ons. Vaiden ran to grab her toiletry bag and brushed her teeth and hair. Then she cleaned her glasses, put her bag up and double checked everything and called her Pokemon back into their balls. She grabbed her suitcase, turned off the lights and locked the apartment door. She quickly ran down the dirt path to the Research Lab. Seeing it in the distance she started sprinting.

"Phew. I made it." She panted, opening the door and stepping into the cold AC.

"Vaiden! There you are!" Rowan called to her. "I'm talking to Cynthia. We need to get going." He told her relieved she finally showed up.

"Sorry. I had a bit of an accident." She said blushing.

"Oh. I see the blood. Here." He said handing her a damp cloth and she wiped off the dried blood from under her nose.

"Thanks." Vaiden smiled.

"You're welcome. But now we must go. Come. I can transport your luggage to the castle, but we'll have to fly. You have your Drifblim, correct?" He asked.

She nodded, "Of course." She gave him her luggage and called out Drifblim. "You'll have to lead the way Professor. I've never been to the castle before."

"As I expected." He chuckled. He then called out his Staraptor and climbed on it. "Are you ready?" He asked.

"Yeah." She hopped on Drifblim, her heart pounding out of nervousness. They took off and started flying, Drifblim easily following Staraptor in the clear sky.

"How long will this take?" She yelled to Rowan.

"About forty-five minutes!" He yelled back. She nodded. This was going to be a very nerve-wrecking forty-five minute flight. Her Poketch made a chiming noise a bit later. She looked at it, and saw she had a message from Lucas. Curious, she opened it and read it what it said:

"Vaiden, I got back from doing research, but you were already gone. I had gotten you a gift, but you weren't here to get it. I transported it to where your luggage is. I hope you like it. Also, don't worry, you'll rock the socks off of everyone. ;)"

She laughed, "What a Lucas." Her heart felt a bit lighter, hearing from Lucas always made everything better, they are best friends after all. She flipped over to the clock part of the Poketch and saw about thirteen minutes had passed. Her stomach knotted up again and she hugged her knees, trying to get rid of the feeling. Ten minutes passed. Then thirty. And then forty.

"Are you alright?" Rowan asked beside her, making her jump a bit.

"Y-yeah…just really nervous, that's all…" She stuttered out.

"You'll be fine, child. You have the skill needed, and your Pokemon will be with you. Don't worry." The Professor smiled. "I have faith in you and I know you won't let me down."

Vaiden nodded, "Thanks. That means a lot coming from you." She made a tiny smile.

Rowan chuckled, "Don't mention it. We have about five minutes left until we get there. Are you ready?"

Vaiden laughed, "Of course not! But, I don't really have a choice at this point, do I?"

The elder laughed, "I guess not!"

Vaiden could see the castle now. It was huge! Several stories tall at least, with large (what she presumed to be) glass windows. All in all, it was gorgeous.

"Wow…its…its amazing!" The girl said in awe.

The Professor chuckled," Of course! What else would you expect from the Elite Four?"

"Nothing less than the best, I guess. And, haha, I made a rhyme." She laughed, still quite a bit nervous.

"We're going to start landing now." He said and Staraptor swerved into a gliding dive.

"Alright." Vaiden nodded and her Drifblim slowly started drifting down. The ground was within seeing distance. As they drifted down, she noticed the doors to the League opening. Out stepped the Elite Four. The wind blew and jerked her body forward, nearly sending her flying off her Drifblim. She grabbed onto him and clinged, praying she wouldn't fall off.

Rowan grabbed her hand and held onto her, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just a bit startled. I'm fine now."

"Alright. We can safely jump from here." He said, letting go and hopped off of Staraptor and falling about six feet. Vaiden followed suit and jumped off, stumbling a bit upon landing. She pulled out Drifblim's Pokeball and hugged him before returning him to it. The girl put him safely back in her bag and turned to the Professor.

"Ready?" He asked, smiling.

"As I'll ever be." She laughed nervously. He started walking and she ducked behind him and followed. They were soon in front of the infamous Elite Four.

"Cynthia! How are you?" He asked her, kissing her hand.

"Just fine, thank you for asking." She smiled at him.

"Good day to you all." The Professor gave a kind smile to them. He looked to his side, then to the other. "Where'd she go? Vaiden?" The Professor questioned, looking around.

"Yes?" The girl asked, coming out from behind him, looking at him while her stomach did a number of flips and other acrobatic feats.

"There you are!" He chuckled, ruffling her hair gently. "I thought I lost you!"

She smiled at him, before turning to the Elite Four.

"Hello. I'm Vaiden." She said with a big ten-year old grin.

Flint walked up and squatted down, ruffling her hair, "Yo! I'm Flint, the fire-type Master around here!" He said grinning and standing back up.

"That's Aaron, the bug master." He said pointing to him.

"Nice to meet you." Aaron said smiling widely.

Flint moved on to Bertha," Bertha, the one whom you'll be taking over for. She's nice, just don't miss meal times. If you do, there's hell to pay." He laughed, before Bertha smacked his hand.

"Ouch! Okay…moving on." He pointed to Lucian next.

"Lucian, the Psychic Master. He enjoys a good book and long walks on the beach." A glare from Lucian shut him up quickly.

"I'll enjoy getting to know you, Vaiden." Lucian said, professional as ever.

"Likewise." She told him, smiling.

"And, Cynthia. The Champion." Flint finished.

"I hope you can grow to love it here, Vaiden." Cynthia told her.

"I'm sure I will." Vaiden replied.

"Well, I think its time for me to start making my way back to the lab now. Lucas is probably quite bored." Rowan said.

"He's more than likely spazzing at everyone." Vaiden laughed. "Oh yeah, tell him that I've stolen his pants too, and to not be expecting their return anytime soon." Vaiden told him.

"Alright. I will." Rowan chuckled, holding his arms open for a hug. Vaiden ran up and gave him a tight hug, before letting go.

"Goodbye." They said together. He called out his Staraptor, and got on.

"I'll call you occasionally, to check in on you, okay?" Rowan asked her.

"Of course." She nodded. "Have a safe trip back."

"Worry you not, I will." He said as Staraptor jumped off the ground and slowly started rising into the air. Vaiden waved to him as he started back to Sandgem town. The ten-year old turned back around to the Elite Four.

"So…" She said shyly, blushing a bit.

"Oh! Well, your things are here, so someone can go ahead and escort you to your room. Once you've settled in, we'll be having brunch." Cynthia said to her.

"Okay." Vaiden replied nodding. "Who's taking me?" She asked her. Before Cynthia could speak a word, Flint jumped in.

"I will." He told her grinning.

"Alrighty then." She said laughing. "Which way are we headed?" She asked him.

"This way." Flint said, starting to walk off. She ran after him to catch up. She had to walk rather fast to keep up.

"You walk fast." Vaiden told him.

He laughed, clearly amused at her, "I guess I do…or are you just short?"

"I am." She said frowning a bit. "Oh well, I'll grow."

"So, who are you?" Flint asked her seriously for a change.

"What do you mean?" Vaiden asked him confused.

"Tell me about yourself." He responded.

"Oh. Well, my name's Vaiden, I'm ten-years old…"

"WHAT!?" Flint yelled and looked at her.

"I'm ten…didn't you know that?" She cocked her head.

"No, I thought you were like twelve or thirteen, just short!" He said, laughing.

"Good to know." She laughed. "But, yeah, I'm ten-years old, and I work for the Professor in Sandgem town."

"Wow, ten-years old, and in the Elite Four. Your parents must be proud." He stated.

"Yeah…" She said frowning.

"Is something wrong?" He asked

"No. Not at all." Vaiden said smiling. By now, they were in a long hallway in the castle.

"What type Pokemon do you use?" He asked her.

"Well, I have a couple different types. Fire, dragon, ghost, and electric. Although electric is my favorite type, I have more fire types than anything else." She laughed.

"Your favorite type is electric?" Flint asked her.

Vaiden nodded. "Yeah, my Luxray especially."

"I have a friend, Volkner, the leader of the Sunyshore gym, his favorite type is electric. That's the only type he uses, except Ambipom and Octillery, but that's on occasion." The fire-master said.

"Volkner…Volkner…Oh yeah! Volkner! I remember him! Isn't he always bored?" She asked.

"Yeah. Everyone that challenges him fails. I try to find people that are good enough for him, but that's very few." He sighed.

"I beat him. He nearly had me, but I'm devious." She laughed.

"Cool. Well, here's your room. Want me to help you unpack?" The red-head asked her.

"Sure, if you don't mind. I don't think I could find the kitchen anyway." Vaiden laughed.

Her suitcase was on her bed, the covers a nice dark blue. The room itself was painted a light gray, a nice peaceful color. On top of her suitcase, was a small wrapped package. It read: To: Vaiden From: Lucas.

"This is what he was talking about!" Vaiden exclaimed, opening it. Removing the paper, she opened the box to reveal a picture frame with a picture of the two of them, grinning ear to ear, covered in mud and water. They had to do some marshland research in Pastoria that day. Sloshing around in the muck for hours, they had ended up having a mud-fight. Their clothes had been completely ruined, but they were old anyways. Both Lucas and Vaiden looked very happy.

"Who's that?" Flint asked, peeking over her shoulder.

"My best friend Lucas and I after a mud-war in Pastoria's marshland one day." She said, smiling warmly, putting the picture on the side table beside the bed.

"You two are close, huh?" He asked laughing.

"Yeah." She opened her suitcase and started putting her clothes away in the dresser. Flint looked down and saw her stuffed lion and picked it up.

"What's this?" He asked, turning and showing her.

"Hm?" She asked turning, and then immediately looked down and blushed heavily. "Oh. That…that's my lion. I sleep with him." She said, turning away.

"Eh, to each their own." Flint said laughing, setting he toy down on the bed. He pulled out the sketchbook and suduko book and set them on the table. He grabbed the blanket next.

"Baby blanket?" He asked questioningly.

"Yup. Feel free to laugh at me." She sighed.

"Why would I? Everyone has something they like to keep. Yours just happens to be you're a toy and a blanket from your childhood." He told her, unpacking more.

"I guess." She sighed.

"Do you want to unpack later? I'm kinda hungry…" Flint rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Oh! Sure, I don't care either way. Lead on to the kitchen." Vaiden told him.

"Alrighty!" He said, walking off to the kitchen. Vaiden quickly followed.

They reached the kitchen and took seats at the table. Vaiden noticed they were having eggs, sausage, biscuits, and grits. Typical breakfast food. At seeing this, her stomach grumbled. She reached down and frowned.

"Hungry?" Lucian chuckled.

"A bit." She replied sheepishly. "I had to skip breakfast so I could get here on time. I had a bit of a mishap this morning."

"What sort of mishap?" Aaron said around a bite of biscuit.

"Spontaneous falling." Vaiden laughed at her own stupidity. "I got out of bed, tripped, and did a face-plant into a box of books."

Flint winced, "Ouch."

Lucian seemed quite surprised, "Books?"

"Mmm-hmmm. I love to read." Vaiden replied, spearing a sausage on her plate and cutting it.

"Interesting. What about?" Cynthia interrupted.

"Anything really. I like horror a good bit though." She said as she bit her sausage and chewed. Swallowing, she pushed her bangs out of her face.

"Hmmm. Well, we have an immense library here, feel free to check it out." Cynthia said, smiling.

"Hey Vaiden." Aaron said.

"Yes?" She responded.

"What kind of Pokemon do you raise?" He asked her eagerly. Everyone turned their attention to her, and continued eating.

"Well, my favorite type is electric, but I have two fire types, one water, a ghost, an electric and a dragon type." She explained, looking up and counting them off on her fingers.

"Wow. Training all those different types must be difficult, huh?" Aaron laughed.

"Somewhat. You just have to know each ones strengths and weaknesses, and work from there." She said.

"You're smart child. I can see why Rowan suggested you." Bertha smiled at Vaiden.

Blushing, Vaiden said, "Thank you."

Flint spoke up then, "So, what did you do before the old man decided you needed to come here?" He said, chewing a piece of toast he had made.

"Field research. Lucas…" Vaiden was cut off.

"The boy in the picture?" Flint asked.

Vaiden nodded, "Yeah. The boy in the picture. He and I did field research on wild Pokemon. We studied their behaviors, and checked if it had anything to do with the Evolution process. We did many other things as well, checking PokeDex's, giving trainers their starting Pokemon, and just doing whatever the Professor needed help with."

"Sounds fun." Aaron said laughing.

"It is. I'm gonna miss doing it." She sighed, "But I think I'll like it here just as well." Vaiden said with a smile.

"Well, I believe we're all done eating, so Vaiden, care for a battle?" Lucian asked.

Vaiden grinned, "Of course!" And the group left for Lucian's arena.

* * *

So? Whatcha think? I worked about a week on this, give or take. Leave me a review or PM me with your thoughts or critique. (I'm proud, I didn't have to use the spellcheck on "Spontaneous" or "Critique" XD)


	3. ADD and Pokemon Battles Don't Mix Well

Alrght! Chapter three is up. :D Thank you for all the kind reviews.

* * *

The group, which consisted of: Lucian, Vaiden, Aaron, Bertha, Flint and Cynthia, arrived at Lucian's gym. As they stepped through the automatic doors, Vaiden got a sudden jolt of adrenaline through her body. Brushing it off, she stepped onto the battle arena. She waited patiently for the others to take their respective places. Aaron, Flint, Bertha, and Cynthia in the stands, while Lucian walked calmly to the other trainer circle at the end of the field.

"Åre you ready?" Lucian asked.

Vaiden gave a sharp nod. "Yes!"

"Alright." He said, taking out a Pokeball. "Go Bronzog" The Psychic Master said throwing it and a Bronzong appeared.

Vaiden's body twitched, which she noticed. "Alright. Go Houndoom!" She said throwing her ball out before Houndoom appeared and the ball bounced back.

"Bronzong. Earthquake now." He said calmly pointing at Houndoom. Bronzong unleashed an earthquake heading towards Houndoom.

Vaiden's eyes widened, "Houndoom jump as high as you can!" She shouted at him, and as he did, the attack went right under him.

"Now dive down!" Houndoom shot down like an arrow, "Now!" Opening his mouth he released a flamethrower attack, nailing Bronzong. The dark Pokemon landed and got into a defensive position.

"Wonderful!" Vaiden shouted, grinning. Bronzong collapsed from the power of a direct hit at such close range.

"You did well Bronzong. I'm proud." Lucian said smiling softly at Bronzong's Pokeball. Grabbing another, he threw it out.

"Gallade. Go." He said smiling.

Vaiden called back Houndoom, and tossed out another Pokeball, "Drifblim!"

Flint was on the edge of his seat. "This kid's got some game going on!" He said throwing his fist in the air.

Aaron laughed, "Yeah! She seems to know what she's doing!"

Vaiden's body jolted again, and she noticed her finger's twitching sporadically. She noticed also that she had started bouncing in place. '_What's going on?' _She asked herself.

Lucian's command brought her attention back to the battle, "Gallade, close in and use Psycho Cut."

Drifblim stood still waiting for Vaiden's orders. "Oh! Go up high!" She said, her whole body twitching now. She watched as Gallade stopped in front of her. He looked at her, sensing her distress. He looked at Lucian.

"Uh…Use gust!" She told Drifblim.

Lucian waited until the gust was right in front of Gallade and then shouted, "Thunderpunch it back!" Gallade followed the command and Drifblim was hit heavily.

"Oh no…" Vaiden muttered to herself.

"Follow up with a direct thunderpunch now." Lucian told Gallade.

With another jolt through her body, Vaiden realized with dread the reason why she was acting this way. She had forgotten to take her medicine.

"Shit." She muttered under her breath, it was rare she swore, but right now, she really didn't care. She heard a crash and looked up startled. She saw Drifblim on the ground in front of her. "Oh no." She muttered, grabbing his Pokeball and withdrew him.

"You did well. It was my own stupid fault." Vaiden whispered.

Aaron looked at Cynthia, "Did you see that? It looked kind of like…like…"

"Like she wasn't altogether there?" Cynthia finished.

"Yeah." Aaron responded. "I wonder what happened."

Vaiden looked up at Lucian, "Can we finish this later?" She asked him from where she stood.

"Of course. Is there something wrong?" Lucian asked her.

She nodded and ran out of the gym in a hurry. She needed her medicine NOW.

They all exchanged concerned glances and Aaron stood up and ran off after her without a word.

Vaiden's mind was a complete buzz. Her body was shaking, palms were sweaty, and she couldn't hold onto a single thought that flew through her head. After five minutes of running, she found herself at her room. She grabbed her suitcase, and opened her toiletry bag. She found her medicine and unscrewed the cap. Popping a pill into her mouth she grabbed the bottle of water she had packed and swallowed it. Turning, she saw Aaron at her door. Vaiden jumped up startled.

"Are you okay?" He asked worried.

"Y-yeah…" She answered, looking down. Aaron walked over and sat her down on her bed and put a hand on her shoulder.

"What happened back there? You didn't seem altogether there when you started using Drifblim." He told her, quoting Cynthia.

She looked up at him, her big blue eyes jumpy still, "I was in a hurry this morning to get here, and I stupidly forgot to take my medication."

"What was it for?" He asked her, frowning.

"The medicine? My ADD." Vaiden told him, also frowning.

"That's why you were so jumpy during out match." Lucian's voice sounded from the door. The rest of the League was there also.

"I'm sorry. That was my own fault. I should have remembered it." Vaiden said, her anger at herself growing a bit.

"No need to beat yourself up over it, everyone has their forgetful moments. We can finish our battle later." Lucian told her calming her nerves some.

"Okay. I'd like that." She said grinning.

"Let's let Vaiden finish unpacking her things." Cynthia said, walking away. The others followed. Aaron gave her a quick squeeze and left. Vaiden smiled. Aaron was pretty nice.

About an hour later, with more of her things unpacked, Vaiden felt like reading. She got up and left the room, finding a map on the wall. She quickly stored the route in her mind, and set off towards the library. A short five-minute walk later, she found herself in front of huge oak doors. Quietly opening them, she stepped inside and went to the large shelves of books. Vaiden picked up a worn book, which had obviously seen better days, and began reading it in an armchair. Her eyes scanned the pages, roaming back up or to another page occasionally, to make sure she was getting the story correctly. So far, the main character, a knight named Genesis, had betrayed the empire, assassinated the king, and had led a revolt against the king's forty-year reign. Vaiden kept reading for a while, eventually nodding off in the chair, her glasses askew, and her body oddly curled around the book.

Bertha was making lunch for the others and herself when Aaron walked in.

"Oh. Hello there Aaron dear." The elderly woman said smiling at him.

"Hi." He told her.

"Lunch is almost ready. How about you take a seat." Bertha said.

"Alright. Thanks." Aaron said, sitting in the seat closest to him.

Vaiden woke with a start, not realizing she had fallen asleep. Rubbing her eyes, she picked up her glasses, and cleaned them before sliding them back onto her face. Glancing at the clock, she noticed it was about one in the afternoon. The girl stretched, her joints popping, and walked out the door, leaving the book on the table with a slip of paper as a bookmark. Turning down a corridor, Vaiden noticed that her necktie was rumpled. She smoothed it out and turned the corner. She saw Cynthia and ran up to her falling in step beside her.

"Hello." Vaiden said grinning.

Cynthia smiled back, "Going to lunch?"

Vaiden cocked her head and put a finger to her mouth in a thinking gesture," Hmmm…I guess I am now. I wasn't sure when lunch was, I guess I got lucky in waking up when I did."

"I guess so. What were you doing before you fell asleep?" Cynthia laughed.

"Reading. I've decided the Middle Ages were supremely messed up." Vaiden said, laughing a bit.

"They really were. Isn't that the time period with knights and the Renaissance?" Cynthia asked the girl.

Vaiden nodded, "Mmm-hmm. Bunch of raving lunatics if you ask me."

Cynthia didn't bother stifling her laughter, "Wow. That's one way to put it."

"So, what do you like to read about?" Vaiden asked the Champion.

"I enjoy archeology and historical records. The things of the past can uncover so many clues to the world of today. So many doors can be opened." Cynthia said dreamily.

"When you put it like that, I guess they do." Vaiden agreed.

"You know, you're very different from most children your age." Cynthia stated.

Vaiden frowned, "Is that a bad thing?"

"No. Sorry. That came out wrong. What I mean is that you're more intellectual and mature for your age than most." Cynthia told her.

"Oh. Thank you." Vaiden said, still frowning.

"You're parents must be very proud of you." The champion told her.

Vaiden had to laugh at that.

"What's so funny?" Cynthia asked her.

"My parent's would die before saying they were proud of me for this." Vaiden laughed a bit more.

Cynthia was shocked. Surely she must be kidding. "What?"

"My love of Pokemon led me to the profession of researching them. My parents wanted me to take over the family business and have an arranged marriage when I got older. I didn't want to be a business tycoon, so I told them I wasn't going to have anything to do with the business and was going to research Pokemon instead when I got older. They disowned me altogether. I moved from Jubilife to Sandgem a few years ago when I was about eight. The Professor is my friend Lucas's grandfather and Lucas convinced him to let me stay. I got my first Pokemon early due to my circumstances. Then, I was given the PokeDex assignment and went for the Gym Challenge while I was at it. Never challenged you guys though. I really don't know why." Vaiden finished, completely out of breath.

"Your parents disowned you because you wanted to do what made you happy?" Cynthia asked, feeling sorry for the child.

"Yeah. I never really liked them that much anyway. They were always working or yelling at me for stupid things." Vaiden said sighing.

"I don't see how they could yell at you. You seem like a good kid who stays out of trouble." Cynthia said warmly.

"That's the problem. I hated nearly every person at my school. They would always exclude me, or make fun of me, so I would stay in the library at recess and talk with the teacher about Pokemon." The black-haired girl told her.

"Pokemon are your life, aren't they?" The blonde asked.

"Yeah." Vaiden said as they walked into the kitchen.

"Hello Cynthia, Vaiden." Bertha smiled at them both, "Lunch is ready. Sit down."

"Okay." They both said, not wanting to face her wrath.

Flint came in next and sat next to Vaiden, "Sup kiddo?" He asked, ruffling her hair.

"Hey Flint!" She said grinning at him. Surprisingly, Lucian walked in last. He was usually the first or second one in. He prided himself on being prompt.

"Greetings all. I apologize for my lateness." The purple-haired man said.

"You're only a few minutes late dear. Take a seat." Bertha said kindly. He took a seat next to Cynthia. So, going clockwise, the seating goes from Aaron, to Vaiden, to Flint, to Cynthia, to Lucian and then to Bertha. They all started eating soon after. Vaiden noticed none of them had drinks. She got up and went to the fridge.

"Anybody else need something to drink while I'm up?" She asked, pouring some milk.

"Could you get me a soda?" Flint asked.

"Ditto." Aaron said.

"Yeah. Purple okay?" She asked.

"I guess." Flint and Aaron said in unison.

"Alrighty." Grabbing the three drinks, she put her milk between her forearm and chest and picked up the other two. She walked to the table carefully and handed them their drinks before setting her own down.

"Thank you." Aaron said cracking the can open.

"Yeah, thanks!" Flint said also.

"No problem. Vaiden said, biting into her sandwich hungrily. It was her favorite, tuna. "This is really good, Bertha." She said after she swallowed.

"I'm glad you like it." Bertha said. They all continued eating, small conversation here and there, making a delightful lunchtime. Vaiden was glad she had someone to talk to besides the assistances at the lab. They could get quite boring, with rambling on and on about plans or other things that didn't involve her. Flint, on the other hand, was telling her funny stories about the gym leaders and the other Elite.

"And then, Maylene accidentally knocked over the punch bowl onto Volkner!" Flint said as he finished the latest one about the Gym Leader and Elite Four Christmas party the year before.

"Wow." Vaiden laughed. Maybe being an Elite Four member wasn't so scary after all.

* * *

Phew. That chapter just WOULDN'T write. I really liked the last part though. :D


	4. Mario Kart and Hot Chocolate

Hello! :D Chapter four is finally here! Sorry for the late update. My keyboard broke. D: I don't own Mario Kart or Nintendo. Or Pokemon sadly. If I did, it would be pretty fucked up. XD Enjoy!

* * *

Vaiden was very happy. Her first day at the League was winding down. It was now about nine O'clock in the evening. She ran into her room and opened her dresser. The girl grabbed a red t-shirt and Lucas' shorts. Pulling off her other clothes over her head, she slipped on the shorts and the shirt quickly followed. Stretching, Vaiden hop-skipped out of her room and down the hall to the living room of the castle. Walking in, she noticed the others were there.

"Yo." She said, smiling, taking a seat on the couch next to Flint.

"Yo!" Flint said, ruffling her dark hair.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Vaiden asked.

"Because, you're just so cute. Now, who's cute?" Hair ruffle, "Who doesn't like getting their hair ruffled?"

"Who's asking to get heir hand bitten?" Vaiden asked.

Flint laughed, "Okay okay! I'll stop!" He laughed out some more. He looked down and noticed the tag on her pants was sticking out. "Why does the tag on your pants say 'Lucas'?" He asked. EVERYONE'S heads jerked up.

"Oh. That?" Vaiden laughed. "My friend Lucas was stupid enough to leave his key card to his apartment in the lab one night, and so he came to my house at midnight and asked if he could stay. He left his sleep shorts, which are now mine because they're EXTREMELY comfortable, at my house, and I pretty much stole them." She laughed.

Everyone let out a held breath.

"Thank God." Flint said.

"What?" Vaiden looked at them innocently.

"Nothing kiddo. Don't worry about it." Flint laughed nervously.

"What do you guys do for fun around here?" Vaiden asked Aaron and Flint.

"Wii!" They both answered, running over to the TV. "You like Mario Kart?"

Vaiden nodded, "Of course!" She hopped off the couch and sat down on the rug between them. Aaron turned the game on. He chose to play as Koopa Troopa, Flint as Bowser, and Vaiden chose King Boo.

"Alrighty. What track?" Aaron asked.

"Ooh! Ooh! Do the one with the giant mushrooms!" Flint said excitedly.

Bertha shook her head. "He still acts five-years old."

Cynthia laughed "Of course!"

The race had started and so far, Flint had fallen in the gorge three times, Aaron was in second place, with Vaiden closely behind in third.

"Oh no!" Flint said falling backwards, "I fell into the damn gorge AGAIN!" Vaiden laughed at him.

"What's so funny, huh?" He let a blue spiked shell go and it hit Vaiden and blew her into the same gorge.

"You dirty little hooker." Vaiden said glaring at him laughing.

Aaron crossed the finish line, finishing in first. Vaiden finished third, and Flint finished in fifth surprisingly.

"I'm choosing the course this time." Aaron said. "Let's do…the penguin one."

"I'm actually good at that one!" Flint grinned.

"Wow. YOU good at something Flint? That's a first." Lucian teased.

"Just read your book, damn you." Flint glared.

Lucian laughed, "You take me much to seriously Flint." He said as he went back to reading.

The turtle on the cloud started the race and all the three of them were equally as horrible.

"Damn penguins." Flint cursed. "Always acting so innocent waddling around all cute and shit, and then BAM. They go evil and run into you and push you into the water. Assholes."

Vaiden looked at him, "Good Lord Flint. The penguins have the right to push you into the water, you're being mean to them." She laughed.

"Well they started it!" The afro-haired man said.

"Good point." Vaiden replied.

"Wow. Even with the evil penguins, Flint really is kind of good at this course." Aaron said.

Flint crossed the finish line in first place, and he jumped up and did a victory dance. "Take that you stupid penguins!" He yelled.

"Quiet down Flint!" Bertha said irritated at his loudness.

Vaiden and Aaron laughed together. Vaiden felt something moving in her pocket. It was Luxray's Pokeball. Looking at her Poketch, she noticed it was nine-thirty. He liked coming out at this time of the night. She took the ball out of her pocket.

"Whatcha doing Vaiden?" Aaron asked her.

"Luxray's displeased with me evidently." Vaiden said.

"So you're going to let him out?" Aaron asked her.

"That's the plan." Vaiden told him. She pushed the button and let him out. As soon as Luxray got out, he pounced her. Everyone looked up startled and worried for Vaiden.

"Hello." Vaiden nervously smiled. Luxray got off of her and picked her up by the back of her shirt collar and sat her down and started licking her hair.

" I love you too, Luxray." She said annoyed.

Luxray growled back, defensively over his kitten.

"What's he doing?" Flint asked her.

"He's convinced himself I'm his baby, and so he treats me as such." Vaiden deadpanned.

"Aw! How sweet!" Cynthia cooed. Luxray got up and lay down beside Lucian's chair to rest.

"It feels weird." Vaiden said as she shook her hair out. "As you can tell, he's defensive." She smiled at Luxray who opened an eye back.

"That's a good thing though. Someone as scrawny as you needs protecting." Flint teased.

Vaiden gave him a look, "Thanks for your concern, Flint."

"Anytime!" He joked.

" Hey, Luxray?" Vaiden asked.

He opened an eye to her. "Can you get my medicine?" He nodded and sprinted off to her room, returning with a small pill-bottle. She opened it and popped one into her mouth and swallowed.

"Thank you my lovely!" Vaiden smiled and pet his fur affectionately. He started purring.

"What's that medicine for?" Aaron questioned.

"So I can sleep." Vaiden replied.

"Speaking of sleep, I think it's about time we all went to bed. We've got a few challengers tomorrow." Cynthia said.

Everyone nodded and got up, going slowly to their respective quarters. Vaiden walked with Luxray. She mentally pondered what it would be like tomorrow. She got to her room and opened the door. The room looked quite plain and hollow. She hadn't been able to put anything personal out yet, so it felt cold and scary to her. Luxray jumped on the bed, taking his place at the foot of her bed. She crawled in and grabbed her stuffed lion and held it close to her chest, trying to get rid of the scary atmosphere. A few hours past and she still couldn't sleep. Unknown to her, Luxray was still awake also. She got up and walked out of the room, extremely sleepy but unable to fall out. Vaiden made her way to the kitchen and noticed Bertha was still up.

"Oh." She turned to leave.

"It's fine child. Come talk with me." Bertha smiled softly at her.

Vaiden made her way over and sat down.

"Now, what's bothering you?" Bertha asked.

"My room."

"Why is that?" The elderly woman asked.

"It feels so empty. Like it's not mine." Vaiden told her sadly.

"I know exactly what's wrong."

"You do?" Vaiden asked.

"Of course." She said. "You're homesick. You're not familiar with anything yet, and that can be quite scary at times. Uncertainty is usually not a fun thing to deal with." Bertha said knowingly.

"I guess." Vaiden said.

"Hold on and I'll make you my special hot chocolate." Bertha told her. She quickly warmed the milk and added the chocolate, putting whipped cream and cinnamon on top.

Vaiden took a sip of it. "This is really good. Thank you." She smiled softly.

"Take it with you. It should help you sleep." The elderly lady told her yawning. "I think I'll go to bed now also. Goodnight."

"Night." Vaiden told her, making her way back to her room. She finished the cocoa off and climbed back into bed before slowly drifting off. The cocoa really did help. For the next several hours, Vaiden slept peacefully. Completely un-afraid of the shadows on the walls of her new room. Her normal nightmare-laced dreams were surprisingly peaceful and happy. How she adored hot chocolate.

* * *

Hope you liked it. :D


	5. Dragons Can Be Frightening

Ello! :'D Sorry for such a late update! Enjoy. xD

* * *

It was about seven in the morning when Vaiden felt something wet hit her face. Luxray was licking her face with his rough tongue to wake her up. Lick…lick…lick.

"Alright alright! I'm up. God." Vaiden said wiping her face off. "Ewww. Must you wake me up so creepily?"

Luxray nodded.

Vaiden frowned and grabbed her medicine and water bottle. Quickly taking it and swallowing, she got up and stretched her muscles. She went to her bathroom and turned on the shower. She stripped out of her nightclothes and brushed her teeth. After a minute or two, Vaiden spat in the sink and turned on the faucet. The girl wiped her mouth off and stepped into the shower, shivering as the hot water hit her chilly skin. She let the water run down her small back lifting away the stress. Vaiden soaked her hair and put shampoo in it. She ran her hands through her hair and thoroughly scrubbed the black mess. Vaiden let that set as she washed her body. A sweet fragrance filled the air now. She stepped back under the spray and rinsed off her body. After making sure she was completely clean, Vaiden turned off the tap and stepped out onto the floor mat. She grabbed her towel off the rack and walked to her room. Drying off, she opened her dresser and got out her clothes. Blue jean shorts, a white shirt and her red and white short-sleeved jacket. She slipped on the pants and set the other clothes on her bed. She picked up her belt with her Pokeballs on it and strapped it through one of the belt loops and let it hang. It was a nice dark-blue color. Vaiden pulled on some socks and her red-converse.

"Alright. C'mon Luxray." She said as she returned him to his ball. She turned off the lights and walked out. Vaiden started to walk down the hall before bursting into a full-on sprint to the kitchen. She was rather hungry. Her Poketch started beeping and she touched the screen and continued to run.

"A new message from the Professor…Hmmm." She checked it. "Sweet! He finally got my other Pokemon transferred over!" Vaiden smiled. She walked through the kitchen doors. Lucian and Bertha were already up also.

"Morning." She said as she went for the coffee maker on the counter.

"Good morning." Lucian said.

"How are you?" Bertha asked.

Vaiden poured some coffee, "Good I guess. Yourself?"

"I'm just fine. Thank you." Bertha replied.

Vaiden added some creamer and a big spoonful of sugar.

"You drink coffee?" Lucian asked.

Vaiden nodded, "Of course." Taking a sip, she deemed it acceptable and smiled. "Yum." She took a seat at the table and began talking with them.

"How many challengers do we have today?" Vaiden questioned.

"Two." Lucian said.

"Wow. I thought there'd be more." Vaiden said surprised at the small number. "When do we battle them?"

"Around ten. It's about nine now…so in about an hour." Lucian answered her question.

"Hmm." She answered frowning slightly. "What's today's date?"

"I believe it's the 20th. Why?" Bertha questioned.

"Parent's day is on the 28th, right? I need to make plans of what I'm going to do." She answered.

"I'm sure anything you do will be wonderful." Bertha told her.

"You obviously don't know my parents." Vaiden laughed. "I guess I'll just think on it."

"_More like think of how to get out of it." _She thought.

She sipped on her coffee some more before getting up and grabbing a banana. She opened it and bit down. "Ow!" she yelped.

"Are you okay?" Lucian asked her.

"Ouch. I think I have another loose tooth." She brought up her tongue and wiggled her front tooth. It wiggled back and forth slightly. Surprisingly enough, she didn't lose her front teeth first. Aaron and Flint walked in and saw Vaiden peering down her nose and tonguing her tooth. She looked ridiculous.

"What are you doing?" Aaron questioned her.

"Loose tooth." Vaiden answered, still wiggling it.

"Aw!" Flint said, "That's adorable!"

"How?" She questioned him.

"Because it means you're still a little kid for a while." He laughed.

Vaiden frowned at him before walking out. She had about thirty minutes before the first battle, so she went ahead and started over to her arena.

Forty-five minutes later, she learned that Aaron had beaten the first one, and was battling the second. She sat and waited for her chance to battle. Ten minutes later, a boy, about the age of fourteen, walked through the door. He announced his name was Dominique.

"The battle between Vaiden of the Elite Four and Dominique of Hearthome is ready to commence!" The referee shouted.

"Alright. Let's go!" Vaiden said as she sent out her Vaporeon.

"Wow! A Vaporeon huh?" Alright, let's do it Carnivine!" He shouted, sending out the Pokemon.

Vaiden smirked.

"Vine whip!" Dominique commanded.

"Dodge it Vaporeon." Vaiden calmly said as Vaporeon gracefully evaded the onslaught.

"Let's try a bullet-seed!" The challenger said.

"Vaporeon. Surf." Vaiden commanded. A tidal wave crashed down on Carnivine but did little to no damage at all.

"Wow, an Elite Four who doesn't know type advantages. This'll be an easy win. Can't be much harder than that wimp in the first room."

Something inside Vaiden just snapped. "What'd you say!?" She yelled.

"You heard me!" He said, "Vine whip! Carnivine!"

"Vaporeon. You know what to do." Vaiden said angry at the comment Dominique had made towards Aaron. Vaporeon evaporated into the puddles left behind from surf.

"Find it Carnivine!" He shouted.

"Aurora Beam Vaporeon!" Vaporeon suddenly burst from a puddle and blasted Carnivine in the stomach with an aurora beam, knocking it out instantly.

"Seems to me you're the one who doesn't know type advantages, dumbass." Vaiden said coldly.

"M-my Carnivine! That was the last Pokemon I had!" He shouted.

"Go and train. And if you do come back, you better do it with a civil tongue in your head." Vaiden glared at him as he stormed out of the arena. Vaiden ran to Aaron's arena. She found him sitting on the floor talking with his Pokemon and sighing.

"You okay?" Vaiden asked him.

"Yeah. It just makes me sad that someone so mean could have gotten this far." Aaron told her.

Vaiden's Vaporeon walked up and nuzzled his cheek calmly.

"I think he likes you." Vaiden told him smiling.

"Me too." Aaron said, petting Vaporeon gently. "Did that kid say anything to you?" He asked.

"Yeah. He told me I wouldn't be much stronger than that "wimp" in the first room. I got pissed about him insulting you and just thrashed his Carnivine with an aurora beam." Vaiden said frowning.

"You stood up for me?" Aaron asked, "You've only known me a short time. Why would it bother you?"

"I just hate negative people who try to hurt others. Especially nice ones like you, Aaron. I'd hate to see you or any of my new friends to get hurt." She said with pat to his shoulder.

"Thanks." He said softly.

"Don't thank me." Vaiden said as she walked out of the room, her Vaporeon following dutifully. She headed towards the conference room. The girl had been told that after each day of matches, they were to report there for discussion of said matches. What fun! Not.

She sat down at the round table, and waited with the others for Aaron. He walked in shortly after Vaiden.

"So, how did the matches go?" Cynthia questioned Vaiden and Aaron.

"Well. I beat the first girl without a hitch. Got beaten by the second barely. Really mean kid." Aaron reported.

"And you Vaiden?" Cynthia asked.

"Well, I beat him. That punk had the nerve to insult Aaron in front of me, and I thrashed him for it. Destroyed his Carnivine with a single aurora beam." Vaiden told them boredly.

Cynthia, Flint and Lucian grinned at each other as Vaiden started looking off into space. Under the table, Vaporeon nuzzled her hand. She absent-mindedly petted his head in return.

"I believe this meeting is over." Cynthia stated.

They all got up and left. Vaporeon trotted next Vaiden and made noises at her. She smiled and laughed.

"I think you helped Aaron out back there." Vaiden told him happily.

Vaporeon smiled back at her and nuzzled her hand some more. They arrived at the kitchen where Vaiden sent out her team. She got food for all of them and sat down at the table and stared out the big window. She the Victory Road tunnel, the waterfall and the grounds outside. People training with their prized Pokemon were also outside. Her Pokemon had finished eating and she returned Garchomp and Infernape to their balls.

She got up and went to the computer in the kitchen. She immediately opened up Bill's PC system and went under her file name. She typed in her trainer ID number and it pulled up her boxes.

"Who to choose…" Vaiden questioned as she looked through the boxes carefully. "Got it." She pressed a button on the computer and a tray opened. She placed Garchomp and Infernape's balls into the tray and they were sent to Professor Rowan via teleportation. Two balls appeared in their place. She released the Pokemon inside. A Flygon and a Salamence. They both tackled her and began nuzzling her.

"Hey guys! Nice to see you too!" She laughed and pet them lovingly. Salamence turned his head to see Flint. He started growling at him threateningly.

"AH! WHY THE HELL IS THERE A SALAMENCE IN OUR KITCHEN!?" He yelled terrified.

"HI FLINT!" Vaiden yelled equally as loud.

"Is that yours!?" He asked shaking.

"Yup!" She grinned.

"You didn't tell me you trained Dragon-Types!" Flint yelled.

"Didn't think there was a reason to." She laughed.

"God. A little girl training possibly the most terrifying and threatening Pokemon types out there. Who would have thunk it?" He said. "Let's here it, how'd you come across these guys?"

"I got 'em in Hoenn on a trip there to visit Professor Birch with Professor Rowan. I decided to train them after I caught a Trapinch and a Bagon. They just kind of stuck with me." She said sheepishly.

Lucian ran in panting. "I heard screaming." He explained. "Oh God." He started as he saw Salamence.

"Intimidating, huh?" Vaiden questioned.

"How did you…?" He started.

"Don't ask." She laughed. She returned Salamence to his ball so as to not scare anyone else. Flygon flew along side her and she went down to the grounds outside the castle. The sunshine was warm and nice. The slight chill of September air flew smoothly through her hair.

"Fly?" Flygon questioned.

"I'm fine. Just enjoying the breeze." She stated. "Want to make a trip to Victory Road?" Flygon nodded and Vaiden ran off to the cave. Flygon grabbed hold of her arms and they glided down the waterfall and onto the ground waiting below. The cave was within seeing distance now.

"C'mon!" Vaiden said as she jogged over to the entrance. It was really dark inside, but she could still see relatively well. She could see tons of wild Pokemon roaming around as well as trainer's battling.

"So this is Victory Road. Looks annoying and slightly painful." She stated to Flygon. He nodded in agreement. She turned around and stepped back into the sunlight.

"It's MUCH better out here." She stated. They stayed outside for quite a few hours playing together and then went back to the castle tired, hot, and exhausted.

Vaiden stepped into the cool air-conditioned living room and collapsed on the couch. She yawned loudly as Flygon perched on the windowsill. She heard a chuckle from across the room. Looking up, she noticed Lucian in an armchair reading.

"All tuckered out?" He questioned as he continued reading.

Vaiden gave a small laugh, "Somewhat I guess."

"Where did you go?" The psychic asked.

"Flygon and I went to see Victory Road. It looks rough. We didn't stay long at all though. It looked kind of scary and painful." She frowned.

"It IS the most grueling part of any trainer's journey you know." Lucian stated the obvious.

"Seems like it." She absent-mindedly wiggled her tooth a bit and winced as she felt a root snap.

"Oh yes. Speaking of journeys, in about three weeks time, we'll be hosting the Sinnoh Conference here at the League." He mentioned.

"What's that?" Vaiden questioned, her blue eyes puzzled.

"It is where all the gym leaders, sometimes Professor Rowan, and we here at the League all come together and have a conference about the latest going-ons in Sinnoh. If nothing else, it is a way to catch up with each other." Lucian told her.

"Sounds fun." Vaiden said, lying back down on the couch. She continued wiggling her tooth despite the slight amount of blood coming from her gums. She snuggled into the pillow that was on the couch next to her and put her glasses on the table next to her. She snuggled back into the pillow and soon fell asleep. Lucian noticed this and smiled. Children were so amusing sometimes.

Later in the afternoon, Vaiden's eyes blinked open once…twice…three times. She sat up and rubbed her right eye with her fist. She then noticed that Aaron was playing video games on the floor with the volume on mute. She jumped off the couch and sat down next to him and yawned.

"Have a good nap?" Aaron asked her.

Vaiden nodded. She didn't feel like talking just yet.

"Wanna play?" He asked her. She shook her head and held up a hand.

"Do you just want to watch?" He asked.

She nodded this time and yawned again. Vaiden noticed the clock read 5:23PM. They would be having dinner soon she remembered. She watched Aaron play his game for a bit as they sat in a comfortable silence, Aaron occasionally asking her a yes or no question about odd and random things. Soon 6:30 rolled around and they left the room with Aaron's game still running to go eat dinner. They took their seats at the table. They were having a fall-keish with salad. A few words were exchanged and Vaiden felt sleepy again very soon. She helped Flint clean up after dinner for lack of something to do. After they finished and Flint thanked her for her help, she sat down by the window in the living room and stared out the window for a while, wondering how she was going to get out of Parent's Day.

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How'd you like it? Let me know through a review or PM. C:


	6. Kickball and Apoligies

I finally finished it. Chapter six. O_O This gave me so much trouble. I fell out of the fandom and only recently have I gotten back into it. I hope you enjoy. Amber belongs to my friend, SilverMoonGirl09 on DeviantArt. I like writing fluff. C:

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About week later, Vaiden found herself sitting at the kitchen table of the League Headquarters. She was waiting for the others to come downstairs. Today was the 28th, and the day Vaiden had been dreading for over a week: Parent's Day. Every year on the 28th of September, children would be let out from school and parents from work to spend the day together. Going to the huge array of festivals, laughing, embracing each other, and having a good time. Vaiden and her parents had stopped doing this a long time ago. Apparently work was more important then spending time with your child. She stopped hoping for that a long time ago. She usually spent the day by herself. But today she had to pay a special visit to some friends. Tired of waiting, she got up and ripped a piece of loose-leaf paper out of a notebook on the counter and scribbled a message saying she was headed to Eterna and would be back for dinner. Vaiden ran outside and sent out her Drifblim and jumped on him.

"To Eterna City!" She told him and he floated up into the sky easily and starting flying in Eterna's direction. Vaiden was pretty sure she wouldn't need them, but she brought her team anyway. They'd want to see her Pokemon anyway she had decided earlier.

About an hour later, she landed in Eterna City. The quiet town was her home away from home. Vaiden walked through the mostly empty streets and stopped to look at all the trees and plant-life growing in the botanical gardens as she made her way to her point of interest. The Eterna City Orphanage where she lived from time to time. Whenever her parents couldn't be there because of business trips, or were exceptionally busy or irritated with her, she would come here for a few days to a few weeks. During her visits, she had made many friends with the other children there.

Vaiden went up to the glass doors and opened them. She was hit in the face by the familiar smell of the orphanage. She had always loved the scent of the place.

"Vaiden! How lovely to see you!" An old man wearing a suit came up and enveloped her in a tight hug.

"Hello Mr. Koji! Nice to see you too!" She grinned and hugged him back. He was the owner of the orphanage and primary caretaker of the children.

"The children have been asking for you for the past few weeks. I'm glad you could make it." He smiled kindly at her. He reminded her so much of Bertha.

"Really? I didn't think they'd miss me that much." Vaiden replied as they walked down the hall to the exit. The stepped out into the cool September air and were met with the sounds of children's laughter and shrieks of happiness. Vaiden spotted a little white-haired girl and ran up stealthily behind her. She grabbed her ribs and slung the girl up and over her shoulder.

"Hey Amber! How's it hanging?" She laughed.

"Vaiden!?" The girl shrieked and clung to her shoulder hugging her as if her life depended on it.

"Nice to see you too." Vaiden stated. By then, a small group of children had gathered around her to say their hellos.

Many hugs were given and received, and pretty soon, they were all playing on the playground happily. Then, the subject of a kickball game came up.

"C'mon everyone let's play!" a little boy with messy hair stated.

"Yeah! Let's pick team captains!" Another shouted.

"Who should be it?" A blond haired girl asked.

Amber spoke up then, "I nominate Vaiden!"

Vaiden looked down and smiled, "Thanks Amber. But two of you should be the captains, not me. I say we let Damien and Scotty do it."

The boys both grinned. Damien was the first to reply, "Thank you Vaiden!" He grinned.

Scotty piped up next, "Yeah, thanks!" They gave each other a high-five.

"Alright. Rock Paper Scissors to decide who gets to choose first." Vaiden told them both.

Damien threw out scissors while Scotty did paper.

"Yes!" Damien shouted, "I call Vaiden!"

Vaiden smiled sheepishly before walking over beside the short black-hair boy.

"Fine, I want Sally!" The pretty brunette whom Scotty had a crush on came over happily.

"Quentin." Damien said. A taller blond boy came over. He was about four inches shorter than Vaiden.

"Amber." Scotty called. Vaiden frowned. She had told Damien to pick Amber next and Quentin after. Amber frowned and walked over to Scotty's side. She shot Vaiden a pout. Vaiden just smiled teasingly back at her.

After the teams were picked, the game began. It was the third round and Vaiden was up to kick. The ball rolled through the short grass and Vaiden wound up and blasted it. Right over the fence that is. They all heard a shout from over the fence. Vaiden's face was red as a tomato. She ran over and climbed onto the trashcan by the fence. Peering over, she noticed an abundance of red hair. The man they hit looked up.

"Vaiden?" He asked.

"Flint?" She asked back.

"What the hell just happened?"

"I nailed a ball over the fence right into you."

"Oh. Okay." Flint said.

Vaiden and the kids all let out a laugh.

"Whathca doing here? Shouldn't you be with your parents?" Flint asked.

"Some things came up." Vaiden lied.

"Flint!" A boy yelled and ran up to the man. "What are you doing?"

"Oh hey Buck. Sorry about leaving you. You just seemed SO into that girl." He smirked.

"Shut it! And I was not." Buck blushed deep red.

Flint laughed. He knew that would fire his brother up.

"Vaiden!" Some of the kids whined, "We have to get back to playing!"

"Oh yeah. Sorry guys." Vaiden scratched her head sheepishly. She turned to Buck and Flint.

"Wanna join us?" She asked.

"Sure!" Buck answered for the both of them. They hopped the fence (rather ungracefully I might add) and landed on the other side.

"You'll be on separate teams, okay?" Vaiden told them. They nodded.

"Alright! Game on!" A blonde girl yelled.

"YEAH!" Vaiden yelled and went to the third base mark.

A skinny, frail boy went up to the plate and took his turn. Vaiden got him out at third base. That was Scotty's teams second out. A few turns later and a strong kick to the ball and a kid was on the ground crying. Everyone crowded around her until Vaiden pushed her way through and knelt down beside her. The girl's cheek was already beginning to swell and bruise over slightly.

"Rin? Are you okay?" Vaiden asked as she put a hand on Rin's shoulder.

"N-no!" She sobbed out, tears coursing down her pretty face.

"C'mon, let's go inside and get you an ice-pack." Vaiden stood up and helped Rin up before taking her hand and leading her inside. Some kids stayed outdoors and others went inside. Flint and Buck followed her. The got to the kitchen and Vaiden set Rin in a chair. She rummaged through the freezer and finally found an ice pack. She got a clean rag and wrapped the ice pack inside it. Vaiden held it out to her.

"Here. Hold this to your cheek. It'll help the swelling." She smiled.

Rin nodded and pressed it to her swollen, red cheek.

"I'm sorry." Vaiden frowned and sighed.

"For what?" Rin asked. "You didn't hit me."

"What I mean is, I'm sorry that you got hurt." The girl told her.

"Oh." The girl flushed. " Don't worry about it…I'm feeling better already! See?" She grinned widely and hugged Vaiden.

A mess of white peered around the corner. Amber crept into the kitchen slowly. She saw Rin hugging Vaiden and felt her blood boil. She rarely gets to see the girl and some other little brat is getting all her attention! Unacceptable. Completely UNACCEPTABLE.

"Vaiden?" She whispered. Flint looked over at her.

"Hey kiddo. Can we help ya?" He asked.

She shook her head no and ran off tears threatening to spill over her eyes. She didn't like sharing Vaiden, it was a known fact. Seeing her giving someone else affection hurt her. Amber ran to her room and slammed the door and cried.

Vaiden heard a door slam.

"What was that?" She asked Flint and Buck.

"Dunno. Probably just some of the twerps rough housing." Buck stated.

"You're probably right." She replied and helped Rin up. "How about you go play with the other kids, alright?" She told her. Rin nodded and skipped off in search of someone to play with.

Vaiden sighed. Her tie was all ruffled. Damnit all. She fixed it carefully. Flint's voice brought her back to the reality.

"Something the matter kiddo?" He asked.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." She smiled.

"If you say so…" Flint said as he watched her jog off.

"What's her story?" Buck asked.

"Truthfully, I really don't know." Flint laughed loudly. "She's all over the place."

Vaiden jogged down the hall from where she heard the noise. She stopped when she heard muffled crying. She leaned closer to the door and opened it up.

"G-go a-away!" Amber yelled choking back tears.

"Hell no." Vaiden said as she went and sat down next to her on the bed. She gently rubbed her back and whispered calming words in her ear.

"Ssssh. Ssssh. It's okay. I'm sorry." She cooed softly to Amber.

"How do you k-know I'm u-upset over you!?" Amber yelled.

"Because, I never get to see you, then I came here to see you and the others, and I ignore you. I didn't mean to, it's just she got hurt and I got worried and she was crying and…and-" Vaiden was cut off by Amber hugging her.

"It's okay Vaiden. It's just it's just…" Amber could not find the right words.

"You miss me?" Vaiden asked her, rocking her gently.

"Yeah. I do." Amber whispered.

"I wish I could be here more for you, but now that I have that new job, I have less time than before. Maybe sometime you can come stay at Headquarters."

Amber jumped up, "Really!? You mean it?"

"If I can convince them to let me, than yes." Vaiden laughed.

They sat on Amber's bed catching up, hugging and laughing for about an hour or so.

"I've got to go soon, although you probably realize that don't you." Vaiden said quietly.

"Yeah. I do. I'll only let you go on one condition though." Amber stated.

"What?"

"Call me more often!" Amber exclaimed and laughed.

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:'D Let me know what you think. Questions? Comments? Review or PM me. I'll gladly answer anything or help you. C: Also, I have no clue where in the hell Flint and Buck went. O___O xD


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